2001 Nihon Series Game 4

Inaba leads off against starting pitcher Maekawa with a line drive to right center, caught by Ohmura for the first out.

Petagine drew a base on balls to put a runner on for the person I think is looking to take the MVP, Furuta. And Furuta delivers a base hit to left field! Peta-chan rounds second and heads to third. The relay is in plenty of time, and Petagine is dead at third! Rhodes made a great play on the ball off the wall to do that.

I'd like to note here that Nashida-kantoku went a little wild with his defensive lineup this evening. In order to put Kitagawa in the the line up (at first), Yoshioka was moved to third and Nakamura to short. This is Nakamura's first outing at shortstop since September of last year.

While explaining all of that, Iwamura draws the second walk off of Maekawa this inning to put runners at first and second with two down.

Ramirez pulls the ball deep to left! The fans are on their feet. If it's fair, it's gone! But the ball slices left of the foul pole. Just a long fould ball. In the end, Ramirez strikes out swinging to retire the side. The Swallows had a chance, muffed it.

At the end of four complete, Kintetsu leads 1-0.

Yoshioka leads off the fifth ripping a line drive up the third base line. Iwamura makes a stabbing grab for it to make the out.

Isobe follows with a ground ball to the left side. Iwamura makes the play to first for out number two.

Motoyama, catching this evening in place of Furukubo, hits a check swing grounder back to the mound. Maeda, wearing new glasses this evening, fields the ball and throws to first for out number three. Three up, three down.

Dobashi draws a lead off walk. Walks have hurt Kintetsu's pitchers up until now.

While Maekawa is keeping Dobashi close with a throw over, the reason other than Furukubo's lack of offence for Matoyama catching is that he has a stronger arm.

Opposing pitcher Maeda fails to bunt three times, missing all together with the last attempt. One down and the runner wasn't moved along.

Back to the top of the Swallow order in Manaka. After a number of tosses to first, Manaka ground to Mizuguchi at second. He takes the easy out at first. Two down, runner at second.

With two down, Miyamoto will get a chance to swing away (which has helped the Swallows for the most part this series). And he hits a ground ball up the middle! Dobashi kicks third and heads home. The throw is up the line and not in time. Dobashi scores. Matoyama's return throw to second, is not in time to get the sliding Miyamoto who has a hit, and RBI, and takes second on the throw home.

That gets a pitcher up in the Buffaloe pen.

Inaba, though, ends the inning with a fly ball to Ohmura in center.

But not before Yakult tied the game on Miyamoto's base hit to center. (As things stand now, I think that he's got my vote for MVP of the Series.)

Maekawa gives Maeda's first offering a ride to the wall in right. Inaba runs full speed back to the fence to catch the ball just before running into it. Hey, Kintetsu's pitcher has more punch than some of their Itemae Dasen.

Ohmura, who got on in the first before being picked off of second in what the radio announcer called a "bonehead play," grounds out to Dobashi at second for out number two.

Mizuguchi lifts a fly ball to shallow center field. Manaka has it, and the side is retired in order.

Petagine leads off the bottom of the sixth with a broken bat infield single. Nakamura made the play on the right side of the second base bag as Mizuguchi was playing too far back to get to the ball first. But it was too late for all.

Furuta, who is reportedly taking some strong pain killers for his left knee, takes ball four high and outside on a full count pitch. It seems like he's taken quite a few free passes this Series.

Reaching the 90's in pitch count with that walk, Kobayashi pitching-coach goes out to talk to his left handed starter. There is a Buffaloe up in the pen. But it looks like Maekawa said what he needed to say, and Kobayashi heads back to the dug out.

Iwamura comes up and lays down a bunt to the left side. Maekawa grabs the ball and fires to third for the force out. That helped out a lot!

But Nashida-kantoku comes out and we have a pitching change. Right handed "setupper" Okamoto comes in.

And Okamoto has Ramirez watch one strike then swing at air with his next pitche. After a slider way outside, Ramirez goes fishing for one not quite so far out. Two down.

Against Dobashi, he comes in with a watched strike, but Dobashi lays off the next pitch, a slider outside. The next pitch is grounded to Mizuguchi at second, and Kintetsu gets out of the jam.

At the end of six, the score is still tied at 1-1.

Newman comes in to pitch for Yakult.

The first batter this giant lefty faces is Rhodes. Newman got a called strike on the outside corner to start, then threw four straight ball. Unfortunatly, Rhodes swing a that last one to bring the count full. The deciding pitch is a change up, high and tight, and Rhodes draws a base on balls.

Now it's Nakamura's turn. And he gives Newman's first pitch a full swing. It looked good off the bat, but it had more height than distance. Turns out to just be a left fly.

With Kitagawa at the plate, Rhodes takes off for second. It looked like Furuta could have thrown him out, but he didn't throw at all. Was Dobashi's cover too late?

Still with Kitagawa at bat, Rhodes takes off for third while Newman starts his wind up. But Newman turns around to throw to second. Seeing Rhodes has gone, he turns to third, throws in plenty of time, but the tag... He's called out at third. Two down, nobody on. Where are those 14 camera angles the newspaper said TV Asahi had set up at Jingu? I'm not convinced that he was touched out from the angle we've been shown.

Nonetheless, Kitagawa grounds out to third to retire the side.

Soejima hits a lead off pinch hit home run just over the left field fence to take the lead! Yakult is now up 1-2. That wouldn't have even hit the wall at Osaka.

Manaka breaks his bat hitting a line drive up the middle. Mizuguchi streaches a few extra centemeters out of his left arm and makes the grab for the first out.

Miyamoto then lays down a bunt that Okamoto fails to pick up, then fails to cover first for. Bunt base hit!

Time for a pitching change. Left handed Shimata is being called in. Okamoto didn't throw many pitches this inning, but is doesn't look like he's fooled anybody either.

Inaba steps in, and Miyamoto tries to steal second. Try is the key word there as the ball is waiting for him to slide into.

After that, Inaba lines to Nakamura near the second base bag at short, and the side is retired. But not before Soejima's lead off pinch hit home run puts Yakult up 1-2.

Kawabata comes in to pitch for Yakult going to the top of the eighth.

He faces Yoshioka and strikes him out swinging.

Wakamatsu comes out and announces right hander Yamamoto to take over on the mound. Kawabata was just a one point reliver this evening.

Isobe, hitless on the evening and the Series, hits a one bound pitch on one bound to second. Isobe continues to be hitless.

Gilbert comes in to pinch hit for Matoyama, and he grounds out to retire the side. Yakult managed to get the Buffs in order yet again.

Petagine leads off breaking another bat on a line drive to second. One down.

After a pow wow on the mound, former Giants' Misawa is announced to come in to pitch to Furuta. (And Takatsu starts throwing in the bird pen.)

And Furuta lines a base hit through the gap on the rightt side for a base hit.

Iwamura his a come backer that Misawa just misses. The ball goes on through to center field. Furuta holds at second. Things aren't looking good for the Buffaloes' pitching staff again.

Ramirez hits a ground ball right at Gilbert who took over at short. He tosses to Mizuguchi for one, and the relay to Yoshioka (who moved back to first from third) is in plenty of time to retire the side. Whew!

Yakult's ace closer Takatsu takes the mound. He's taken over as premire closer in the league since Sasaki left. He hasn't given up a single run in 4 Nihon Series appearances.

Masuda leads off pinch hitting for pitcher Misawa. He exercised great bat control to get a piece of one of Takatsu's pitches, but grounded it right to Dobashi at second for the first out.

Back to the top of the order in Ohmura. Kinetsu fans are asking, "Can we get to Rhodes and Nakamura?"

Hmmm. It looks rather hard as Ohmura watched a full count pitch outside called a strike on the corner. Two down.

Rhodes is on deck while pinch hitter Kawaguchi steps up to the plate. He takes a sinker for strike one. The next pitch is inside and low, one and one. The next pitch is swung on and missed, strike two. The camera focuses on Rhodes in the on deck circle, appearing to be praying for a chance. But it won't happen. Kawaguchi grounds an easy come backer to Takatsu. The throw to first, and the game is over.

Yakult wins the game 1-2, and takes a 3-1 lead in the Series.

I'm guessing that you kept score in some fashion as you posted updates on the Japan Series. I've heard that US-style scorecards aren't sold at Japanese stadia. What role does scorekeeping play for the Japanese fan or broadcaster?